Ministry of Defence

Mesothelioma: Veterans

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent data they have compiled on the incidence of mesothelioma among former members of the armed forces; and what percentage of the total annual number of deaths from this disease occur amongst former servicemen.

Earl Howe: Between 1 April 2003 (the earliest date for which the Department holds electronic information) and 30 September 2016, 761 ex-Service personnel registered a claim for mesothelioma through the War Pensions Scheme (WPS) which was subsequently awarded.Of the 761 awarded claimants 721 had since deceased. For those 721 claimants who are deceased, information on their cause of death is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.No calculations have been made by the Ministry of Defence on the percentage of the total number of deaths from this disease amongst former Service personnel. However, the Health and Safety Executive's most recent publication on Mesothelioma Mortality in Great Britain from 1968 to 2014 (including by broad types of occupation) is enclosed and can be found at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/STATISTICS/causdis/mesothelioma/mesothelioma.pdf

Defence Medical Services

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the level of Defence Medical Services staffing against trained requirement, broken down by profession.

Earl Howe: The ‘DMS 20’ initiative recommended a Defence Medical Services manpower liability to meet the 2020 Defence operational, force generation and force rehabilitation requirements.The information below compares Regular manning by profession against the DMS 20 requirement for 2016.  Profession2016 DMS 20 RequirementDMS manning  (as at October 2016)Primary Healthcare (including General Duty Medical Officers)493460Medical Management Appointments1428Secondary Healthcare Consultants310244Nursing1,4561,181Healthcare Assistants199179Dental413442Medical Support Services/ Allied Health Professionals3,9603,837Total6,8456,371

Department for Work and Pensions

Occupational Pensions

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is (1) the percentage, and (2) the number, of workers earning more than £5,824 and less than the earnings trigger of £10,000, who are over the age of 22 and below the state pension age and who have opted into pension auto-enrolment, by (a) gender and (b) earnings band, according to the most recent available statistics.

Lord Henley: The opt out rate for those automatically enrolled into workplace pensions is significantly lower than anticipated by government. The Employers’ Pension Provision (EPP) Survey 2015 estimated this to be less than 10 per cent. The government does not collect information about opt in rates for individual workers. Some workforce data is available via the EPP Survey 2015 but it is not possible to break down the data in the way sought by the question.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Tree Planting

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 4 April (HL7141), whether they are on target to meet their commitment to plant 11 million trees by 2020, and what are the latest figures for trees planted to date.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 19 September 2016.The correct answer should have been:

Figures published by the Forestry Commission show that 546 hectares of woodland was created in England during the financial year 2015-16. This was supported by the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE). In addition, the Forestry Commission estimates that a further 165 hectares of woodland was created without RDPE support, bringing the total created during 2015-16 to 711 hectares. In the period April 2016 - June 2016 2017, a further 422 hectares of woodland was created with RDPE support. This amounted to 1,292,000 trees planted in England. This Government remains committed to planting 11 million trees during this Parliament.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Figures published by the Forestry Commission show that 546 hectares of woodland was created in England during the financial year 2015-16. This was supported by the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE). In addition, the Forestry Commission estimates that a further 165 hectares of woodland was created without RDPE support, bringing the total created during 2015-16 to 711 hectares. In the period April 2016 - June 2016 2017, a further 422 hectares of woodland was created with RDPE support. This amounted to 1,292,000 trees planted in England. This Government remains committed to planting 11 million trees during this Parliament.

Home Office

Refugees: Children

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 17 January (HL4525), whether the 200 children referred to were not eligible to be transferred to the UK under the Dublin Regulation.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: In 2016, we transferred over 900 unaccompanied children to the UK from Europe, including more than 750 from France. Approximately 200 of these children met the criteria for section 67 of the Immigration Act.  Based on the assessments undertaken by Home Office teams working in France, these cases were not eligible for transfer to the UK under the Dublin Regulation. Transfers under the Dublin Regulation will not form part of the overall number to be transferred under section 67 of the Immigration Act.

European Arrest Warrants

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will seek the UK's continued participation in the European Arrest Warrant following the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will seek the UK's continued participation in the European Investigation Orders in Criminal Matters Directive 2014/41/EU following the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will seek (1) observer status on Europol's Management Board, and (2) access to the Europol database, following the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will seek the UK's continued participation in those parts of the Schengen acquis relating to police and judicial co-operation in criminal matters to which the UK has been party since 2002 following the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Prime Minister has made clear that law enforcement cooperation with our European partners will continue after the UK leaves the EU and we will do what is necessary to keep our people safe. We are exploring options for cooperation arrangements once the UK has left the EU but it would be wrong to set out unilateral positions on specific measures in advance of negotiations.

Roads: Accidents

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what powers a police constable has to require the drivers of vehicles involved in road accidents to undertake a simple roadside eye test.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The police are empowered under section 96 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to request that a person that they suspect of driving a motor vehicle, with eyesight that does not meet the minimum eyesight standard set out in the driving licence regulations, to take a roadside eyesight test.

Human Trafficking

Lord Smith of Hindhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people were identified as potentially trafficked through the National Referral Mechanism in each year between 2010 and 2015.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The table below shows the number of individuals referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) in the UK as potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking, between 2010 and 2015. The NRM is the UK’s identification and support mechanism for potential victims of modern slavery. YearNumber of potential victims referred to NRM2010714201194620121,18620131,74620142,34020153,266 A breakdown of referrals is available from published NRM statistics on the National Crime Agency website and can be found here: www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-statistics

Department for Exiting the European Union

Court of Justice of the European Union

Lord Inglewood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what factors underlie their intention to take the UK outside the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The people voted in the referendum to leave the European Union. This is why the Prime Minister has been clear that we intend to bring an end to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in the United Kingdom.Leaving the European Union will mean that our laws will be made in Westminster, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, and those laws will be interpreted by judges not in Luxembourg, but in courts across this country.

UK Trade with EU

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bridges of Headley on 11 January (HL4372), if WTO rules apply following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, how much would the tariffs paid by (1) EU exporters on their trade with the UK, and (2) UK exporters on their trade with the EU single market, be, expressed in pounds sterling.

Lord Bridges of Headley: As the Prime Minister has set out, the UK is aiming for the closest possible relationship with the EU. If WTO rules were to apply following the UK's withdrawal from the EU, the total MFN tariffs which would be paid by UK exporters to the EU, and EU exporters to the UK, would depend on the specific MFN tariffs applied on the products traded and on the future value of trade between the UK and EU.This is a matter for negotiation. The value of trade between the UK and the EU would in turn depend on a range of factors including how UK and EU firms and consumers might respond to any tariffs.

Department of Health

In Vitro Fertilisation

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of research published in the British Medical Journal Open that success rates advertised on the majority of IVF websites are misleading, and the call by Professor Adam Balen, that published data should include live birth rates for different age groups and multiple pregnancy rates.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of IVF treatments led to live births over the latest 12 months for which figures are available.

Lord O'Shaughnessy: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the most recent twelve month period for which the Authority holds verified outcome data is 1 July 2013 - 30 June 2014. The HFEA has defined in vitro fertilisation (IVF) as including all fresh and frozen IVF and intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection cycles, including those using donor gametes. During that period 27.2% of IVF treatments resulted in a live birth.The HFEA has also advised that it is aware of the research published in the British Medical Journal Open. The HFEA currently provides guidance to fertility clinics on how they should present their data and HFEA inspectors conduct an audit of every clinic’s website every two years upon inspection, and will raise any website issue with clinics in between inspection times as they arise.The HFEA will soon change the way it publishes birth statistics on its own website and plans to review the guidance to clinics in the coming year.

Hepatitis

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Shaughnessy on 6 January (HL4286), whether they will publish a national improvement framework for hepatitis C or a national strategy for hepatitis C.

Lord O'Shaughnessy: There are currently no plans for a national improvement framework. The United Kingdom has a comprehensive surveillance system in place combining laboratory diagnoses data, risk and behaviour data, outcome data, statistical modelling and service evaluation. This enables us to monitor the care pathway, detect outbreaks, and generate burden estimates. Prevention efforts focus on minimising harm in people who inject drugs through access to opiate substitution therapies with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance needle and syringe exchange programmes supporting these interventions. Further NICE guidance Hepatitis B and C testing: people at risk of infection has also been published to improve uptake of testing for hepatitis C in various settings. NHS England leads on treatment and continues to support National Health Service-led Operational Delivery Networks to provide NICE approved treatments for hepatitis C. Copies of the NICE guidance documents have been attached. Public Health England supports the government’s efforts by publishing hepatitis C metrics in their report Hepatitis C in the UK 2016 report - Working towards its elimination as a major public health threat. A copy of this report is attached.



Needle and syringe programmes
(PDF Document, 252.51 KB)




Heptatitis B and C Testing
(PDF Document, 347.55 KB)




Hepatitis C in the UK
(PDF Document, 913.66 KB)

Hepatitis

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Shaughnessy on 5 January (HL4284), what estimate they have made of when hepatitis C will be eliminated as a serious public health concern in England, in the light of NHS England's current approach to the delivery of new direct antiviral treatments for hepatitis C.

Lord O'Shaughnessy: The World Health Organization (WHO) defines elimination as a reduction to zero of incidence of disease or infection in a defined geographical area and has set out a goal of eliminating hepatitis C as a major public health threat by 2030. The WHO Global Health Sector Strategy on viral hepatitis targets, relevant to the hepatitis C virus in the United Kingdom, include reducing the incidence of new cases of chronic hepatitis C infection in 2020 and 2030 by 30% and 80% respectively. In the UK, new, highly effective, interferon-free anti-viral treatments for hepatitis C will contribute to this goal. Many affected have already been treated with the new therapies under the early access schemes operated by NHS England from 2014 to the start of 2016. Public Health England and NHS England continue to work collaboratively with stakeholders on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C.

Hepatitis

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Shaughnessy on 6 January (HL4375), whether, under the rolling regional tender programme, new medicines for the treatment of hepatitis C will (1) be included in those tender exercises, and (2) be available for reimbursement without appraisal or before appraisal by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Lord O'Shaughnessy: As in my Written Answer of 6 January, under the Departmental Commercial Medicines Unit’s rolling regional tender programme, all new hepatitis C medicines on the market at the time of tendering will be included in those tender exercises. All new hepatitis C treatments are currently subject to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) review. NHS England does not currently have plans to reimburse access to these medicines ahead of NICE recommendations.

Hepatitis

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated prevalence of hepatitis C in England broken down by (1) local authority, and (2) Operational Delivery Network.

Lord O'Shaughnessy: The data is not available in the format requested.

Mesothelioma: Drugs

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government in what parts of the UK the drug Avastin is made available to patients diagnosed with mesothelioma; on what basis the drug is withheld from some patients while being made available to others; what assessment and clinical trials they have carried out to test its efficacy; and what studies they have made of the use of Avastin in cases of mesothelioma in other countries.

Lord O'Shaughnessy: Bevacizumab (Avastin) does not currently have a marketing authorisation for use in the treatment of mesothelioma in Europe and is not routinely available in England for this indication. Bevacizumab will only be available to patients in England enrolled in clinical trials. The availability of treatments in other parts of the United Kingdom is a matter for the devolved administrations.The license holder for bevacizumab, Roche, is currently studying its use in the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Sepsis

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice is being given to the public on how to spot the warning signs of sepsis so that early appropriate treatment can be sought.

Lord O'Shaughnessy: Public Health England (PHE), in partnership with the UK Sepsis Trust, launched a national sepsis campaign in December 2016 targeted at parents of children under five with the aim of raising awareness of the symptoms of sepsis and when to seek urgent medical help. Activity includes posters and leaflets, digital films featuring Melissa Mead and other families affected by sepsis, a Netmums partnership, national public relations and supporting communications through a range of National Health Service, local authority and commercial sector partners. So far the campaign has achieved strong engagement. The launch achieved excellent national news coverage, a million posters and leaflets have been ordered and there have been more than 2.7 million views of the digital films.

Mental Capacity

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 10 October 2016 (HL2093), whether the Law Commission completed its review of Deprivation of Liberty safeguards by the end of 2016; and if so, when they expect to respond to that review.

Lord O'Shaughnessy: The Department now expects the Commission to publish its findings and recommendations by March 2017, following which the Government will set out its response.

Liver Diseases

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in humans in (1) 1990, (2) 1995, (3) 2005, and (4) 2015.

Lord O'Shaughnessy: The data is not available in the format requested.

Clinical Pharmacologists: Training

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will convene a meeting between Health Education England, the British Pharmacological Society and the Specialist Advisory Committee for Clinical Pharmacology, which is convened under the auspices of the Royal College of Physicians, to discuss the role and importance of clinical pharmacologists and whether action is needed to prevent a fall in the number of posts and training grades.

Lord O'Shaughnessy: On 23 January 2017, at the Committee stage of the Health Service Medical Supplies (Costs) Bill, I agreed to meet with the noble Lord to discuss clinical pharmacologists and other issues raised about the Bill. I intend to take that opportunity to discuss what further action is required and whether we should speak to other organisations.

Hepatitis

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many cases of hepatitis C have been diagnosed in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many of those were diagnosed in the Accident and Emergency department of a hospital.

Lord O'Shaughnessy: Public Health England (PHE) receives laboratory reports of hepatitis C cases from England and these are shown, for the last five years where data is available, in the following table. This data can also be found in the attached report, Hepatitis C in the UK 2015 report. PHE does not routinely collect information on cases of hepatitis C diagnosed in accident and emergency departments. Laboratory reports of hepatitis C England, 2011 to 2015Year20112012201320142015Total9,90510,85511,05511,47111,548Source: Hepatitis C in the UK 2015 report



Hepatitis in the UK 2015
(PDF Document, 4.71 MB)